Thursday 23 October 2014

Day 826: Screech Owl


Another perfect gem of a poem from Ted Kooser.



Screech Owl - Ted Kooser

All night each reedy whinny
from a bird no bigger than a heart
flies out of a tall black pine
and, in a breath, is taken away
by the stars. Yet, with small hope
from the center of darkness
it calls out again and again.

14 comments:

  1. I like this poem but can you give me the meaning of it? I was given this poem in my 9th grade english class and have to write a response poem in relation to it.

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  2. I like the last bit about calling out into the darkness. It makes me think about not giving up hope. Keep going onward.

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  3. I think the poem is about not giving up. The owl has little chance of being heard, but she doesn't give up. She calls out again and again, in an effort to be heard. (Just like all of us!)

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  4. I love the descriptive language of this poem, I can picture a "bird no bigger than a heart" so clearly and imagine hearing it long after being able to view it. Love this poem.

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  5. I enjoyed reading your poem. Lots of thoughts circled in my head trying to interpret the true meaning. I like how you end with a hopeful message.

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  6. I think that this poem is about having hope even when you feel small in a very big and scary world.

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  7. I think this poem is about even when someone is at their lowest and in the darkness, it is important to still try to succeed. It might seem impossible in the moment, but continue to use your voice and hopefully one day you will find the light again.

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  8. I feel like this I connect to this bird. We are screaming to be heard but our voices go straight to space. The funny thing is, we keep calling out no matter if we hear no responses - just echos.

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  9. When I read this poem, I think the author is trying to say that the world is limitless. The stars are breathtaking because they are reminders of how many opportunities there are in the world.

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  10. To me, the poem is about how time keeps moving without our control and how we put ourselves out in the world matters to others so we should keep going.

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  11. I find the perseverance of the titular owl really intriguing - the fact that an animal "no bigger than a heart" can pierce the mass of darkness with its cry time and time again is inspiring

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  12. What does it mean when it says "is taken away by the stars"?

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  13. Even though you can't see the bird in the darkness of the night. You can still hear it calling out. No matter how small the bird is, it's voice still matters.

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  14. I think that this poem focuses on hope. Even when we feel as though hope is fleeting, we can still see little bits of it in places we least expect it.

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